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Monastery information | |
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Established | 1329 |
Disestablished | Late 14th century |
People | |
Founder(s) | Simon de Furneaux |
Site | |
Location | Kilve, Somerset, England |
Grid reference | ST146440 |
Kilve Chantry was a religious site in Kilve, Somerset, England.
The Chantry was founded in 1329, when a brotherhood of five monks was employed to say Mass for their founder, Simon de Furneaux. [1] The Roll of Incumbents shows that several successive chantry priests were incumbents of Kilve parish. It was dissolved in the late 14th century. [2] The chantry seems to have fallen into a ruin long before the dissolution of the monasteries, and for centuries it served as a barn for the adjacent farm. [3]
The building stayed in use for many years, possibly by smugglers, until a fire in 1848, [4] caused by an attempt to destroy evidence of contraband brandy. [5] Some parts of the chantry complex have survived intact and are now 'Chantry' and 'Priory Cottages', but the large solar wing is now ruined. [6]
It is now a Grade II* listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument, [2] which is listed on English Heritage's Heritage at Risk Register as "very bad" with a priority rating of "A", the highest possible. [7]